October 06, 2026.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines:

Voters urged to ‘rescue’ Joburg from ‘corrupt crime-council ecosystem'

Ramaphosa punts campaign to plant 1bn trees over 5 years to correct spatial inequalities

And, World Bank raises Africa's 2026 growth forecast, urges AI investments

Voters must use the upcoming local government elections to rescue Johannesburg from a “devastating crime-council ecosystem" that thrives on the city's decay, Centre for Development and Enterprise executive director Ann Bernstein urged today.

Launching the CDE's latest report, 'Time for Action – Corruption in Joburg', Bernstein warned that the dangers of "more of the same" over the next five years are immense.

The report is the fifth instalment in the CDE's 'Johannesburg Matters: Fixing South Africa' series.

According to the CDE, Johannesburg's decline is not only a result of weak administration or municipal incompetence.

Instead, it notes an entrenched network of political, business, and criminal interests has intersected local government, actively profiting from dysfunction.

Bernstein emphasised that the city's salvation lies in robust institutional design rather than vague ethical reforms.

President Cyril Ramaphosa today that the Presidential One Billion Trees Campaign aims to plant one-billion trees over the next five years, framing it as a direct challenge to the lasting legacy of apartheid-era urban planning.

Writing in his weekly newsletter to the nation, the President said the initiative forms part of the existing National Greening Programme and seeks to correct severe spatial inequalities.

Historically, white suburbs were designed with lush, tree-lined streets and ample green spaces, while black townships were left with sparse vegetation.

Since its launch in April, more than seven-million trees have already been planted: more than two-million trees in the Western Cape; more than one-million trees in Gauteng; more than one-million trees in KwaZulu-Natal and over 500 000 trees in the country’s driest province, the Northern Cape.

The President emphasised that environmental conservation and economic development go hand in hand. Eradicating invasive trees and cultivating native ones opens up major economic pathways, particularly for the youth, he said.

The World Bank has raised Africa's 2026 economic growth forecast to 4.3%, citing stronger performance across the region, and urged governments to embrace AI to boost productivity and create jobs.

The region has weathered a tough global environment, the lender said in its Africa Economic Update report, marked by higher energy prices due to the impact of the Iran war on supply chains. The new growth forecast is up from the 4.1% expected in April. In 2025, the region's economy grew by 4.1%.

The upgrade shows growing confidence that reforms in some of Africa's biggest economies are paying off even as the Iran war roils global energy markets. But these gains have yet to make a dent in poverty, with per capita income growth still trailing broader economic growth across much of the continent.

Risks remained, however, including a prolonged Middle East conflict, the El Niño weather phenomenon, high interest rates in advanced economies and elevated debt servicing costs.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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